Prelims: Current events of national and international importance | Art & Culture
Why in News?
India’s UNESCO Tentative List now includes 73 sites, following the addition of four new cultural sites announced by the Permanent Delegation.
4 Cultural Sites
- All four newly inscribed sites are classified as cultural.
- Tentative List – It is an official inventory compiled by an individual country (State Party) listing the cultural and natural heritage sites within its territory that it plans to nominate for UNESCO World Heritage Site status over the following five to ten years.
- Mandatory First Step – The World Heritage Committee will only consider a property for inscription if it has been on the country's Tentative List for at least one year.
- Demonstrating Value – Countries nominate sites they consider to have "Outstanding Universal Value" for all humanity.
- Planning Tool – The Tentative List promotes transparency and helps countries set future conservation priorities.
- No Guarantee – Inclusion on the Tentative List does not ensure World Heritage status, and sites may remain on the list for many years.
India’s World Heritage Sites
- India possesses 45 inscribed World Heritage Sites, comprising 37 cultural, 7 natural, and 1 mixed site (Khangchendzonga).
- The most recent World Heritage inscriptions from India are the Ancient Buddhist Site of Sarnath, bringing India’s total to 45 World Heritage properties.
The Archaeological Survey of India, operating under the Ministry of Culture, serves as the nodal agency for India’s cultural nominations.
UNESCO
- Headquartered in – Paris, established the World Heritage Convention in 1972.
- Objective – To promote the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage that holds exceptional value for humanity.
- Legal commitment – It is rooted in the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, adopted by UNESCO in 1972.
Reference
UNESCO | Tentative List
